Chapter 11
Managing conflict and negotiation
Conflict and Negotiations - Key
Concepts
 Conflict: definition
 Constructive and Destructive aspects
 Levels of conflict
 Stages of conflict
 Indirect and direct conflict mgmt approaches
 Conflict styles/behaviors
 Negotiation
 Hard & soft bargaining, ethical conflict behaviors
 Coping with Criticism
Conflict
 Conflict is____________________
 Substantive

A fundamental disagreement over ends or goals
to be pursued and the means for their
accomplishment.
 Emotional

Interpersonal difficulties that arise over feelings of
anger, mistrust, fear, and resentment.
Constructive (Functional) Conflict
 Helps identify issues and underlying problems
 Acts as a safety valve, releasing tension and anger
 Encourages interaction and involvement
 Promotes creativity
 Facilitates problem solving
 Promotes sharing of information
 Tests strength of ideas - under fire
Adapted from Gary L. Kreps, Organizational Communication, 1986, p. 188-189
Destructive (Dysfunctional) conflict




Results in negative outcomes
Decreases work productivity and job satisfaction
Increases in absenteeism and turnover
A successful leader will be alert to destructive
conflicts and take action
Levels of conflict
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Intra-group
Inter-group
Organizational
Levels of Conflict
 Intrapersonal Level
 Involve actual or perceived pressures from
incompatible goals or expectations within a person
 One’s perceptions differ from others; one’s judgment
called into question

Approach- Approach Conflict
 Choices: two positive and equally attractive
alternatives
 Example: two jobs = equally positive duties,
pay, benefits, location
Levels of Conflict, cont.
 Intrapersonal Level


Approach- Avoidance Conflict
 Choice: something has both positive and
negative consequences
 Example: a great job in a lousy location
Avoidance – Avoidance Conflict
 Choices: two negative and equally
unattractive alternatives
 Example: two jobs - neither first choice in
terms of duties, pay, location
Levels of Conflict
 Interpersonal

between two or more individuals
 Intergroup

among and between groups
 Interorganizational

related to competition and rivalry that
characterizes firms operating in the same
markets
Diagnosing Conflict
 Vertical conflict: between hierarchical levels

Supervisor –subordinate disagreements over
resources, goals, deadlines, or performance
 Horizontal conflict: same level (coworkers,
line - staff, functional units)



Goal incompatibilities; ambiguities,
Perceived resource scarcities
Power or value differences or interpersonal
factors
Stages of Conflict
 Antecedent conditions
 Perceived and felt conflict
 Manifest conflict
 Conflict resolution, management or
suppression
 Conflict aftermath
Proposed by Louis Pondy (1967)
Desired Outcomes
 Agreement

Fair and equitable
 Stronger relationships

Bridges of trust and goodwill for future
 Learning

Greater self-awareness and creative problem
solving

Dean Tjosvold’s cooperative conflict model
The Conflict Process
Stage I
Potential
opposition
Stage II
Cognition and
personalization
Stage III
Behavior
Perceived
conflict
Antecedent conditions
•communication
•structure
•personal variables
Stage IV
Outcomes
Increased
performance
Manifest
conflict
Conflict Aftermath
Decreased
performance
Felt
conflict
Conflict-handling
Behaviors/styles:
•competition
•collaboration
•accommodation
•avoidance
•compromise
Indirect Conflict Management Approaches
 Reduce Interdependence
 Reduce required contact, build buffers, assign formal
liaison
 Appeal to common goals
 Establish a common, overarching goal, ensure parties
take responsibility
 Use chain of command
 Refer problem to more senior employees/managers
 Redesign the organization
 Rewrite scripts, rituals
Conflict Styles/Behaviors (from K Thomas, 1976 and Rahim,
1985)
High
(Assertive)
Dominating
(competing)
Integrating
(collaborating)
Compromising
(Sharing)
Concern for Self
Avoiding
(neglecting)
Obliging
(accommodating)
Low
(Unassertive)
Low
(Uncooperative)
Concern for Others
High
(Cooperative)
Direct Conflict Management Techniques
 Lose-lose
 Avoidance
Sidestep, postpone, withdraw
Accommodation
 Play down differences and highlight similarities;
yield, obey or sacrifice to other
Compromise
 Split the difference, exchange concessions, seek
the middle-ground



Direct Conflict Management Techniques
 Win-lose



Competition:
one party achieves its desires at the expense
and to the exclusion of the other party’s
desires
Stand for your rights; defend your position which you believe is correct
Direct Conflict Management Techniques
 Win-win
 Collaboration:
Achieve each other’s goals
 Acceptable by both parties
Establishes a process whereby all parties involved feel
a responsibility to be open and honest about facts and
feelings
Explore the disagreement to learn from each other
Results in problem solving or situation improvement




Negotiation
 Process of making joint decisions when the parties involved
have different preferences
 Successful negotiations:


Substantive goals
 Concerned with outcomes relative to the “content”
issues at hand
Relational goals
 Concerned with outcomes relating to how well people
involved in the negotiation, and any constituencies
they may represent, are able to work with one another
once the process is concluded
Distributive Negotiating
 Hard Bargaining


When each party holds out to get its own way
Leads to competition
 Soft Bargaining


When one party is willing to make concessions
to the other to end the impasse
Leads to accommodation
Staking Out the Bargaining Zone
Party A’s aspiration range
Party B’s aspiration range
Settlement range
Party A’s
target
point
Party B’s
resistance
point
Party A’s
resistance
point
Party B’s
target
point
Integrative Negotiating
 Principled negotiations


Negotiations based on the “merits” of the
situation
Foundations for gaining integrative
agreements



Be willing to trust the other
Be willing to share information
Be willing to ask concrete questions
Ethical Conflict Behaviors
 Argue the specific issue at hand
 Focus on interests not positions
 Avoid dirty fighting (character attacks, slander, overly
aggressive tactics)

Separate the problem from the people
 Construct a “reasonable” argument
 Be open to alternate perspectives
 Avoid premature judgments
 Listen actively and evaluate fairly
 Judge using objective criteria
Adapted from Kreps, 1986, Organizational Communication, p.189. And Schermerhorn
Coping with Criticism
Based on work by Ronald Adler and Gregg
Walker (OSU)
osu.orst.edu/instruct/comm440-540/ criticism.htm
Constructive Criticism
 The generation of evaluative comments
 Can promote constructive growth in
individuals and relationships
Guidelines for the Critic
 Understand why you are offering criticism
 Try to understand the other person
 Describe the behavior, not the person
 Focus on specifics and the “here and now”,
not generalities or the past
 Emphasize your feelings
 Invite a collaborative discussion to solve the
problem
 Allow the other person to make decisions
When Criticized ...
 Recognize and welcome the value of constructive







criticism
Listen actively, with an open mind
Paraphrase what the other is saying
Try to understand the other’s perspective
Work hard to avoid becoming defensive
Maintain your own power and authority to make
decisions
Communicate clearly how you feel and think
Insist on valid criticism
Ask for Specifics
 Ask for specifics:
 What
is the specific behavior (s) that
bothers this person?
 In what circumstances does the
objectionable behavior occur?
 Does this criticism also involve others?
Ask About Consequences ..
 Ask about the consequences of your
behavior:
 What
need of theirs is not being met?
 What negative consequences have
occurred as a result of this behavior?
Resolution
 Make sure you understand the original
complaint or problem
 Take time and make the effort to hear out the
other person completely
 Ask how s/he would suggest the issue be
resolved
 Provide feedback on your point of view and
how you plan to proceed only after
completing the previous 3 steps